The Detroit Pistons’ timeline for the salary cap is tricky

*Since this was written, the Detroit Pistons signed Isaiah Stewart to a 4 year/$64 million extension.

Basketball, for better or worse, is a business, and as Richard Pryor once said, “we’re in the business of doing business, so let’s do some business.”

To succeed in the business of basketball requires patience, timing, and more than a little luck. When the recent draft picks reach the end of their rookie contracts, the Pistons will still be a year or two from contending, and they’ll need team-friendly, movable contracts to maintain depth, a balanced roster, and to make the necessary moves at the right times to maintain their window and win the last game of the season.

The most important thing the Pistons did this offseason was keep their salary cap clear for years to come. Teams don’t compete for a championship without developing a core through the draft, and teams that try to buy a championship only succeed if they bring a generational player onto a team with an already developed core.

We’ve seen a lot of teams try to buy a championship. We all remember Ben Gordon, Charlie Villanueva, Josh Smith, and Blake Griffin. We’ve watched Brooklyn and Philadelphia in recent years, and Phoenix is the most recent team to try its hand at assembling max contracts in exchange for a decade’s worth of draft picks.

I expect Phoenix to do as well as Brooklyn.

Toronto in 2019 is an interesting exception to the rule. They got a one-year rental, and it was worth it. They also had a core in place, mostly built through the draft and player development.

Teams that strike when the iron is hot, who make that last trade necessary to get over the hump, often do so at the cost of their future. The Garnett-Allen-Pierce teams in Boston never had the bench to get them back to the podium. Cleveland struggled against the cap to put pieces around LeBron, especially after Irving left. Milwaukee and Miami have both struggled to get the team they need after paying players, acquiring stars, and losing depth.

Let’s not forget the role of injuries, which can shrink a team’s window.

Cade Cunningham has two years left on his rookie contract. Assuming he’ll earn a max extension, this puts the Pistons on the clock to build a team. Whether they extend him next summer or wait another year for an extra offseason’s flexibility, the Pistons had this summer to continue building the talent base, taking on expiring contracts or dead money. Next year might be the year to extend contracts beyond Cade’s rookie deal, to decide which pieces fit, which need to go, and to acquire pieces movable once they’re over the cap.

When Cunningham’s contract kicks in, the Pistons will need to exceed the salary cap, which, especially with the new collective bargaining agreement, will limit the moves they can make.